Folding garment hanger



March 6, 1951 F. M. MILLS 2,544,170

FOLDING GARMENT HANGER Filed April 30, 1946 INVENTORT' flea M M/l/S BY J/Zea C,

flTTOR/VEY Patented Mar. 6, 1951 UNITED? SYITATJES PATENT OFFICE:

'FOLi'J'I'NG 'GARMENTHANGER 1 Fred Mills, Portland; may. Application a iil's'o, 1946, Serial No. 666,691

This ii'ii e'ntio'ri"relates"to a foldir'ig' garment hanger.

An object d'fthis'inver'iti'oh is tdprovide'a strong and substantial folding gaf'r'n'rit' hanger that is very compact andoeeupie'svery little space when folded.

Another object is tdDr'ovide a folding arment hanger that is weuadapteaforeither pia's tid or.

metal construction.

Another object is to provide a 'folding'ga'rment hanger having a pivota lly connected two part hinged sp'readerbarprovided with a'i'ne'di'al' pivot that passed the center line of its two endfpivots to thereby lock the hanger in "an open position.

Another object is to provide'a folding garment hanger in which two mam hanger membershave mating upper end portions thatinterfit tongue and groove fashion and that are p ot'ally "connected together and are'piovided vi hsho'ulders which abut against each other to limit relative angular movement of" said 'inain'ha'nger' members.

Another object of the rave on isto'prbvidea multiple piece folding gariri t hanger having" a relatively widehook that is pIVoted onthe'saine axis as the pivot that"e'onneetstwdparts ofthe arment hanger and that'will fold'over the hanger in a very compactmanfir.

Other object's'of the inventionwill bef'app'arent' from the following" description "takeii'in cohnection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawin'gst' Figure 1 is a viewin'eievation ofa plastic garment hanger construetedin 'aceordanceivith this invention showing the same "inbpeif'position. v r

Fig. 2 isa' top plan view of the hangersho'wii in Fig.1, I V

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view ofsa'i'd hanger.

Fig. 4 is'a detached perspective "view of the hook' used on said haiigerl' Fig. 5 is a side elevationsho'wingsaid hanger folded. g 4

Fig. '6 is a 'cross'sectionon' line 6-6 ofFi' '5.

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary exploded "persp'e View of'tnepivotauytonnected parts dfthmaih hanger members.

Fig.8 is a fragmentary 'ex'plededperspeetive view showing the pivot joint means for the" bottom' spreader bar ofthehahgei.

Fig. 9 is an elevatio'rfof iolding'ivire ha ger made in aceordahc'e' with this invennbn; showing the hangerin open position.

one of said main hanger parts; Such as 't1'1"e Fig.'10 isan elevation showing said wire hanger folded.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged dross section taken substantially on broken line Il i l'bf Fig.9. 7

Like reference numerals desi-gnateWike-parts throughout the several views. I

Figs. 1 to '7 inclusive show a folding hanger comprising two main hanger parts It and H which are of similar construction except that mating end ortionstr" thesepar'ts are of tongue and groove" SHafi"With ame'dial tongiiel'z "on part It, and two spaced apart members'lson 'tlf"otlie'r"part I I' "to receive therebetwee'ri' the The mating: en'ds l2 "and 13 of the two"parts I0 and u are interfittedy a's' sli wwand each part 10 and II has afi'inclined 'sho'tilder "1'4 a'dapten to'be engaged by anedg'e ls-"orth'e 'otliefpa'r't;

The two members f0 andil areipiv'otally conneete'dwith each other by "a tubular hingef in of pivot 'll" thatpasses throughlobes 1'6 f'on'the members It and II. A double hook 18; see

Fig. 4, fits over the parts l2 an'd'ls anavhas two inwardly protruding pins l9 thatareadapted to engage withihthe' tubularhingepinI1 to securethe "hook to the hanger. Thesepins"i9 are easily' 'snapped 'intoen'g'aged positionby springing the two sides of the hook 1'8' apart.

.IThehOok, being widei'thantlie hanger members,

can 'be folded into a very compact 'positioifas shown in Fig.5. 7

Obviously the hinge" can 'be mrmed'separab1e fro'm"the"hanger' member's I'll and 1| if"d'esi're'd but in any instance a tubular 'hingepiri is'preferably used.

The two members In and II are "shapedfin outline; like the two "'sidesof a conventional boat hangefand are of channels'haped cross section,

as shown in Fig; 6. A "spreader" bar formedof two parts2fi and-2| is connected with the lower end portions of these members I0 and H by pivot "means 22. The 'twosprea'der bar parts 20 and 2| 'are'of eq'uallength and havedo-wn nected for relative angular movement bya pivot Leach other as shown by dotted line's-in Fig.5.

Theoente'i"of'the 'pivot pin 25 is preferably fiiish with the lower-'edge portion's'o'f the spreader bars 20 and- 2! s'o'as't'o' permit these barst'o f'old side by "side' in parallel relation.

Preferably ribs are provided crosswise '-0f the upper surfaces of the main hangerfmeinb'ers "Ill and II to prevent garments from slipping off 'o'f 'said membersmend H.

Also preferably a do'vvel pin-4| is provided onbne member such-as memberi we fit into a Hole in-member l [and hold the-two parts H3 and H a ainsttransverse displacement When they are folded.

Whenthe hanger is opened out intQ'thepOsitionshown in Fig. I the bars 20 and '2!" will act as spreader bars to hold the members 'H and I0 extended. In this position'the pivot 25 will be a shortdist'ariee below a straight line pas'sin g through the centers or pivuts' '22 and" thil's the members It and II will be 'lockedby reaso'rf'of hanger members in the other direction. hanger shown in Figs. 9, 10 and 11 is used in the usualway when extended.

the pivot 25 passing center and the members If) and H can not fold together when subjected to a load. The spreader bar members 20 and 2|, when extended, will support garments, such as trousers or skirts hung thereover without sagging. Garments thus hung on the spreader bar members will tend to hold them in a locked position and thus prevent accidental folding of the main hanger members and II.

The hanger is quickly and easily folded into the very compact position shown in Fig. 5. When extended the hanger is used in the usual manner.

Figs. 9 and show a folding wire hanger made in accordance with this invention. This hanger comprises two main coat hanger parts 21 and 28 pivotally connected with each other by a pivot pin 29 that also supports a hook member 30. Two spreader bar members 3! and 32 are connected by pivots 33 with the curved outer end portions of the main coat hanger parts 21 and 28. The

adjoining ends of the spreader bar members 3| and 32 have downwardly extending flattened lug portions 35 that are pivotally connected with each other by a pivot pin 36.

These lugs 35 are shaped to provide shoulders 31 that bump against each other and abut when bars 21 and 28 are thus locked against folding movement.

Shoulders 38 on the hanger members 21 and 28, see Fig. 11, abut against the shank of the hook 30, which is positioned between said hanger members 21 and 28. This limits relative angular movement of members 21 and 28, in one direction, beyond the position in which they are shown in Fig. 9 but permits folding movement of these The The foregoing description and'accompanying drawings clearly disclose preferred embodiments of my invention but it will be understood that changes in the same may be made within the scope of the following claims.

I-claim:

-1. A folding garment hanger comprising two main hanger members of molded plastic and of inverted channel shape in cross section toprovide grooves in their lower edges; a relatively deep groove of approximately one-third of the thickness of a main hanger member provided medially in the upper end portion of one of said tion of the other hanger member adapted to fit snugly within the relatively deep groove and having shoulders and a straight bottom edge portion adapted to engage with the bottom edges of the deeply grooved member and with the bottom wall of the relatively deep groove to limit relative angular opening movement of said two hanger .members; downwardly extending aligned pivot receiving lobes on each of said main hanger -mernber provided medially on the upper end pormembers; a tubular pivot member extending through said lobes and pivotally connecting said two main hanger members, the axis of said tubular pivot being in the planes of intersection of the bottom edges of said two main hanger members and the shoulders provided by the groove and tongue members of the upper end portions of said main hanger members; a hook having two spaced apart sides adapted to fit over the interfitting portions of said two main hanger members and connected at their upper ends by a cross bar; two inwardly directed pins on the lower end portions of the sides of said hook adapted to fit into said tubular pivot member to pivotally secure said hook to said main hanger members; and two spacer bar members of equal length each having an end portion pivotally connected with one of the main hanger members near the lower end of the hanger member, the other end portions of said two spacer bar members having downwardly extending interfitting lobes of tongue and groove shape and said lobed portions having shoulders that abut when the spacer bars are in alignment and said lobed portions being pivotally connected together by a transverse pivot that is positioned below a straight line passing through the pivot connections at the ends of said spacer bars to prevent folding of the spacer bars under load when the hanger is extended.

2. A folding garment hanger comprising two main hanger members of molded plastic and of inverted channel shape in cross section to provide grooves in their lower edges; a relatively deep groove of approximately one-third of the thickness of a main hanger member provided medially in the upper end portion of one of said main hanger members, said relatively deep groove having fiat inside walls and having an inclined bottom wall forming a shoulder; a relatively long tongue of approximately one-third the thickness of a main hanger member provided medially on the upper end portion of the other hanger member adapted to fit snugly within said relatively deep groove and having shoulders and a straight bottom edge portion adapted to engage with the bottom edges of the grooved member and with the bottom wall of the relatively .deep groove to limit relative angular opening movement of said two hanger members; downwardly extending aligned pivot receiving lobes on each of said two main hanger members; a pivot member extending through said lobes, the axis of said pivot being coincident with the intersection of the planes of the bottom edges of said two main hanger members and with the shoulders formed b the relatively deep groove and tongue portions of the upper end portions of said main hanger members; a, foldable hook connected with said pivot member; and two foldable spreader bar members of equal length pivotally connected with each other and with the outer end portions of the respective main hanger members, whereby said main hanger members are held in extended position.

FRED M. MILLS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 920,240 Anderson May 4, 1909 1,278,054 Strand Sept. 3, 1918 1,682,626 Peckham Aug. 28, 1928 

